


Different Drum

by GirlKnownSomewhere



Category: The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Band Fic, F/M, Ficlet, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21535918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlKnownSomewhere/pseuds/GirlKnownSomewhere
Summary: Ann visits the Nesmith estate to interview Phyllis for the first time.
Relationships: Mike Nesmith/Phyllis Nesmith
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	Different Drum

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on Ann really interviewing and transcribing Phyllis for a handful of articles back in the late '60s.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Monkees, Ann Moses' or Phyllis Barbour Nesmith's likenesses

One-shot: Different Drum

Bel Air, September 1967

Ann parked her black Mustang on the street beside the big, two story house in the Bel Air neighborhood. It was the first time she had visited the residency of the Nesmith family a whole year after meeting the musician on the Union Pacific Passenger Liner for the Monkees’ fan contest-turned-concert. She had already visited his bandmate Peter’s house a couple of times in the past, and went to a party Micky threw at his own place last spring. She even used to live across the street from Davy in West Hollywood before he made the switch for Laurel Canyon earlier this year. But Mike was the last Monkee for Ann to experience in his natural habitat. Not that that was a shock or anything. In fact, she was a little surprised he had offered her to visit his place for one of her interviews. Even if she was technically conducting it with Phyllis, rather than himself.

Ann rang the front doorbell as she waited with one of her smaller purses plus her mini notebook and recorder. About 15 seconds passed by before the door opened and the guitarist appeared, sunglasses covering his face and with minor unexpectedness at her presence. The reporter also not expecting him to open the door either.

“Um…I thought you said 3:00…” She explained loosely.

“I did. But you’re 5 minutes early,” he passed back while widening the door so she could step inside.

“I mean…it’s only 5 minutes…” Ann lazily offered as she walked through the entrance and looked at the interiors of the house. It was very chic and colorful, something she thought of attributing to Phyllis, but also considered Mike’s own personal fashion sense could also reflect on his home preferences. The color scheme was primarily browns and oranges, calling to Mike’s country-western sensibilities, but also mod enough to hint that a woman also lived inside. As she got lost looking at the stellar view into the backyard through a pair of sliding glass doors, a brown shepherd dog suddenly skipped up to Ann and began barking—albeit happily seemingly.

She gasped and jumped backwards as the canine wagged his tail and nudged her hand for her attention.

“Fraak!” Mike called to his pooch and then leaned over to distract the animal with some casual petting. The tactic apparently worked when ‘Fraak’ turned his excitement over to his master. “You like dogs, right?”

Ann let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, not wanting to reveal she completely forgot he had pets either. “I’m more of a cat person…not that it matters, since my building doesn’t allow pets,” she responded.

“Ah,” he simply let out as he lifted his body upright again and Fraak ran back into the other end of the house. There was a minor silence before Mike spoke, “Well, Phyl should be here any second, so—”

“Mike, come on,” Ann interrupted as he grabbed his jacket from the hall closet and checked the pocket for his wallet. “…You can’t talk to me for just 10 minutes?...”

He stood still for an additional pause before noticing something outside through the open front door. “See, I told you. That’s her GTO driving up to the garage right now.” He pointed to the driveway for emphasis as he left the house and hopped onto his motorcycle, already casually leaning next to the frontyard grass. Ann watched him speed off before glancing to see Phyllis step out of her vehicle with her own sunglasses still across her face. The writer made note mentally of the blacked out windows of the car Mike had mentioned while on set during one of the episode shoots. The housewife pointed to the garage entrance when she noticed Ann to show her where she was entering from. Ann moved back to the living room and looked casually about the room, where everything appeared spotless and tidy. Davy and Peter weren’t slobs, but they did have a handful of random accessories laying around their places from what she remembered. That clearly wasn’t the case at Mike’s house, and she wondered for a second time how much that was Phyllis’ influence. Then Ann wondered if they hired a cleaning service to work on their home regularly.

“Sorry, I’m finally here,” Phyllis commented as she walked in via the garage which lead directly into the kitchen with both a grocery bag and shopping bag. Ann slowly strolled over to the other side of the house and stood without reply. “I can’t wait for Christian to be old enough for Kindergarten. These daycare hours don’t just seem to be early enough, you know?”

Ann nodded even though she was single and without kids. With an up close view of the young mother, she could now notice Phyllis’ new smallish baby bump too. “I saw Michael rush off while I turned off my engine,” Phyllis continued. “I’m not sure what his problem is with your articles. Marilyn was here last week with some questions for him and he didn’t have any issues there.” Marilyn being the PA of the “Monkees” TV production.

Ann decided to place her purse on the coffee next to the couch as Phyllis left the kitchen for the living room. “I’ve done interviews with him before,” Ann informed. “They’re just usually…really short…and tedious.” She said the last word semi-cautiously, though the wife didn’t seem to care. “And assistants aren’t a part of the press.”

Phyllis shrugged off her jacket and laid it over one of the spare chairs in the room then placed her sunglasses atop her head. “So how does this work? I know Mike’s coined this whole silent and mysterious image, but he’s actually pretty boring around the house.”

Ann then took out her recorder as she sat opposite the wife on the couch. “Oh, well…our readers are tweens, so his creative process isn’t really on their radars…”

Phyllis gave a light shrug. “I could give you the recipe of one of his favorite meals.”

“Eh…” Ann left squinted slightly in thought. “I think that would work better for a special edition…”

“Cute story involving Christian?” The other blonde suggested again. “Or maybe his thoughts on having another child soon. He’s hoping for another son.”

“Maybe—” 

“Oh! I have a scoop for you!” Phyllis interrupted excitedly and smiling as she just remembered something. 

“Oh?” Ann replied with a minor arch of her eyebrow.

“Mike told me he wants me to sing backup vocals on one of his tracks on a future LP!” Her smile grew with an exanimated glee.

Ann raised both brows in surprise. She knew Phyllis was typically at nearly all of the Monkees events and parties, but she hardly saw her at any of the recording sessions. Unless she just happened to stop by on the days Ann wasn’t around. “Oh…neat!”

“I know! I was shocked. I haven’t sung since school. That’s actually what I was doing when I first met him…”

“Huh…hey, that might be a good idea, actually,” Ann said in realization.

“What?” Phyllis asked as she stood up to pour two cups of juice for both of them.

“Why don’t we do an article on how Mike asked you out?” She suggested as she turned on the recorder and then grabbed her pen from her purse.

A subtle, but authentic, smile formed on Phyllis’ lips as she sat back down on the couch and placed the cups on the coffee table. “Aw. Well, we were both members of the same folk music fanclub at San Antonio College…”

An hour later, Ann closed the front door to the house and strolled to her car. She definitely had enough of a story to transcribe for the next Monkee Spectacular issue, but now she couldn’t stop wondering how she was going to sugarcoat Phyllis not being single when Mike first asked her on a date…


End file.
